‘Leadership Begins With Purpose, Not Position,’ Says Imam Onike

The Chief Missioner of the Nasrul-Lahi-l-Fatih Society (NASFAT), Imam Abdul-Azeez Morufu Onike, has called on Muslim women to embrace leadership as an act of worship rooted in sincere intention (niyyah) and self-purification (tazkiyah), rather than as a pursuit of status or recognition.

Speaking at the NASFAT National Women Management Committee (NWMC) 3-Day Women Leadership Training, held from 23 to 26 July 2026, Imam Onike delivered a lecture titled “Empowered with Purpose (Niyyah & Tazkiyah): The Foundation of Transformational Muslim Women Leadership.”

He emphasised that genuine leadership is measured not by authority or position, but by positive influence, accountability before Allah, and service to humanity.

“Leadership is not the ability to command people,” he said. “It is the ability to positively influence people toward a shared purpose while remaining accountable to Allah.”

Using practical illustrations, Imam Onike challenged participants to examine their motives for accepting leadership positions, reminding them that “before leadership comes purpose; before purpose comes niyyah; and before sustainable leadership comes tazkiyah.” He noted that without these spiritual foundations, leadership becomes a search for position rather than an act of worship.

The Islamic scholar urged women leaders to emulate exemplary Muslim women such as Khadijah (RA), Aishah (RA), Umm Salamah (RA), and Ash-Shifā’ bint Abdullāh (RA), whose lives exemplified entrepreneurship, scholarship, wisdom, integrity, and public service.

He also drew attention to inspiring role models within NASFAT, encouraging participants to follow the examples of Mama S. T. Agbalajobi, a retired Permanent Secretary; Alhaja Mulikat Bello, a retired Head of WAEC; Alhaja Hafsat Bello, a former Deputy Rector of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH); and numerous other distinguished NASFAT women elders whose outstanding achievements and dedicated service continue to inspire younger generations of Muslim women.

He also highlighted the strategic role of women in strengthening Islamic institutions through continuous learning, financial responsibility, ethical leadership, and digital literacy. According to him, Muslim women should become creators of beneficial online content rather than passive consumers, particularly in an era increasingly shaped by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Presenting the Five Ps of Transformational Muslim Women Leadership—Purpose, Purity, Professionalism, People, and Posterity—Imam Onike urged participants to cultivate integrity before influence, learning before leading, service before recognition, and legacy before popularity.

He further reminded attendees that effective leadership rests on three essential qualities: character, competence, and compassion, stressing that outstanding Muslim leaders possess all three.

Concluding the session, Imam Onike encouraged participants to focus on building enduring legacies rather than pursuing temporary positions.

“A title may make you a chairperson; only character makes you a leader. A position may give you authority; only purpose gives you influence,” he said, adding that sincere intentions and purified hearts remain the true foundations of lasting leadership and divine reward.

The three-day capacity-building programme attracted 463 NASFAT women leaders and stakeholders, who participated both in person and virtually from NASFAT branches across Nigeria and several other countries.